Sewing-machine ruffler.



P. R. GREIST &'F. W. BEGKERT.

SEWING MACHINE RUFFLER.

APPLICATION FILED $1111.27, 1910.

983,048., Patented Jan.31-,1911.

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P. R. GREIST & F. W..BEGKER'I'.

w SEWING MACHINE RUFFLER.

APPLICATION FILED JAILTT, 1910. 983,048. Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

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UNETED TATE PATENT QFFEQE.

PERCY R. GREIST AND FREDERICK W'. BECKERT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT,AS- SIGNORS TO THE GREIST MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CON-NECTICU'I'.

SEYVING-IVIACHINE RUFFLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

Application filed January 27, 1910. Serial No. 540,371.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PERCY R. Gnnrsr and FREDERICK vV. BEOKERT, citizensof the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Havenand State of Con necticut, have invented or discovered certain new anduseful Improvements in Sewing- Machine Rufllers, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates to rull'ling attachments for sewing machines, andmore particularly to that class of ruflling attachments shown in U. S.Patent No. 629,736, adapted to make a plait or gather at each stitch,or, if it be desired to make wider plaits, to form only a single plaitwhile several stitches are being made, although certain features of thepresent improvement are adapted for use in rutlling attachments otherthan the class just referred to.

In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 and 2 are side views of aruitling attachment embodying the present improvements, but with someparts in different positions in the two views. Fig.3 is an opposite sideview of the same from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is an end viewof the same looking from the right of'Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail sectionon line 55, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the friction washer. Fig.7 is a detail view of the stud on which the operating lever and otherparts are 1nounted. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the pawl. Fig. 9 is adetail view of the ratchet-wheel, and Fig. 10 is a detail perspectiveview of the shouldered rivet.

Referring to the drawings, 12 denotes the body of the frame of therufller and which frame is preferably provided with an integralattaching portion or shank 13 and an integral presser foot part 14.

Attached to the upper part of the frame portion 12 is a stud 15 which ispreferably riveted to the part 12, and provided with an enlarged part 16on which the operating lever 17, the pendulous lever 18 and the plate19, serving to loosely connect said levers, are pivotally mounted; thesaid pendulous lever being jointed at its lower end to a sliding part orplate 20 to which therufliing blade 21 is attached in the usual manner.The ruflling blade cooperates with a separator-plate 22 attached to thecarrier 23 which is preferably pivotally connected with the attachingportion 13 of the frame 12 by the rivet 2 1.

Rotatably mounted on a portion 25 of the stud 15 and against a shoulderafforded by the enlarged part 16 of said stud, is a ratchet wheel 26provided with two deep notches 27 and with a series of shallower notches28; and non-rotatably mounted on a flattened portion 29 of said stud isa spring steel washer 30 having a central aperture adjacent to which areoppositely located struckout lugs 31 embracing the flattened orirregular portion of said stud to prevent rotation of said washer. Thesaid washer 30 is cut through from point a to point y, thus forming asegmental slit in said washer and affording a central circular portionagainst which bears a nut 32 screwed on the threaded outer end of thestud 15, the portion of said washer outside the slit referred toalfording a curved spring arm which bears frictionally against theratchet wheel 26, and which arm is provided with a small indented lug 33adapted to fall into the teeth of said ratchet wheel as the latter isrotated, and thus serve as a stop to prevent the backward rotation ofthe ratchet wheel with the pawl when it is desired that theratchetavheel should rotate intermittingly. The central portion of thewasher 30, against which the nut 32 bears, may, if desired, be partlycut away, as by forming a series of radial openings therein, therebymaking a series of radial spring fingers to make this central part ofthe washer more elastic.

Pivotally mounted on the operating lever 17 is a spring-pressed pawl 34arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 26,

and also to engage a shoulder 35 on the pendulous lever 18 when the saidpawl is in one of the deeper notches 27 of the ratchet wheel, but whenthe said pawl is in the shallower notches 28 of said ratchet wheel itwill be held out of engagement with said shoulder, and will then notactuate the pendulous lever for the purpose of operating the rulflingblade. The pawl 34 is pivotally mounted on a shouldered rivet 36attached to the operating lever 17, the pivotal mounting of said pawl onsaid rivet being at the enlarged portion of the latter closely adjacentto its head and closely fitting the circular opening in said pawl.Between said enlarged portion and the small shank of the rivet is a boss37 which only partly fills the opening in the pawl, thus leaving a smallannular chamber for the reception of a torsional spring 38 by which thefree end of the said pawl is yieldingly pressed against the ratchetwheel 26. As a convenient means of connecting said spring with said pawlthe inner face of the latter is provided with a small slit 39 in whichone end of said torsional spring is inserted, and in which said end isheld when said pawl is secured in place against the face of theoperating lever 17, the other end of said spring entering a small holepunched for its reception in the arm 40 of a very thin spring metalplate 4.1 riveted to the operating lever 17, the said arm 4L0 beinghoused in the slot or recess 42 formed for its reception in the saidlever 17. A second arm as of the said plate 41 bears frictionallyagainst the adjusting screw H, by which the throw of the rufiiing bladeis regulated, for the purpose of retaining said screw in any desiredposition of adjustment, said arm 43 being preferably provided with aseries of indentations or corrugations corresponding to and fitting intothe threads of the screw, thereby increasing its frictional hold againstsaid screw.

In the construction of these five-stitch rufflers made under U. S.Patent No. 629,736, hereinbefore referred to, a very small hole for theinsertion of one end of the pawl spring, corresponding to the spring 38,was drilled either in the operating lever or in the pawl. As both ofthese parts are of relatively thick metal this small hole could only bemade by drilling, and could not be punched; but the very fine drillsrequired for making these very small holes were liable to break in thedrilling operation, so

that this operation was both relatively slow and expensive. In formingthe hole for one end of the spring 38 in the'arm 40 of a very thin metalplate tl this hole may be punched, this operation being possible owingto the extreme thinness of the metal of this plate, thereby greatlysimplifying and cheapening the operation and the resulting construction.

By mounting the pawl 34 on the enlarged part of the shouldered rivet 36adjacent to the enlarged head of the rivet, and by providing said rivetwith a boss of lesser diameter than the part of the rivet on which thepawl is pivotally mounted, and of larger diameter than the shank of saidrivet, a suitable annular chamber in which the spring 38' can beproperly housed is afiordecl, as will be understood.

The operation of the improved attachment is similar to the operation ofthe attachment shown by Patent No. 629,7 36 above referred to. When thecam or eccentric-headed stud 45 is in the position shown in Fig. 1sufficient movement of the pawl 34 is permitted to allow itto operatefreely so that it will engage the deep and shallow notches of theratchet wheel 26, the ruftling blade being operated only at the timewhen said pawl is in engagement with the deep notches 27 of said ratchetwheel, and when the said pawl is in the shallower notches 28 of saidratchet wheel it will be held out of engagement with the shoulder 35 onthe pendulous lever 18, so that the said ratchet wheel will be rotatedin one continuous direction. hen, however, the eccentric 4.5 is turnedto the position shown in Fig. 2, with the pawl in engagement with one ofthe deeper notches 27 of said ratchet wheel, the pawl will be held insaid notch so that at its backward or return movement it will carry theratchet wheel with it, and a rocking movement will be imparted to theratchet wheel, so that the pawl will, at each upward movement of the.operating lever 17, engage the shoulder 35 on said lever, and thusimpart a rufi'ling or gathering movement to the ruflling blade at eachvibration of said operating lever, forming a rufiie or gather at eachstitch, instead of forming a plait at each five stitches, as is the casewhen the said eccentric is in the position shown in F ig. 1.

Having thus described our invention we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. In a sewing machine rufiler, the combination with a frame portion, ofa stud fixed to said frame portion and having a threaded outer end,connected operating and pendulous levers and a ratchet wheel mounted onsaid stud, a spring-pressed pawl carried by said operating lever andengaging said ratchet wheel, a nut on said threaded outer end of saidstud, a spring friction device interposed between said nut and saidratchetwheel, and a ruffiing blade connected with said pendulous lever.

2. In a sewing machine ruffler, the combination with a frame portion, ofa stud fixed to said frame portion and having a threaded outer end,connected operating and pendulous levers and a ratchet wheel mb unted onsaid stud, a spring-pressed pawl carried by said operating lever andengaging said ratchet-wheel, a nut on said threaded outer end of saidstud, a friction washer interposed between said nut and said ratchetwheel, said friction washer having a segmental slit forming a curvedspring arm, said spring arm being provided with a stop adapted to engagethe teeth of said ratchet wheel, and a rutfling blade connected withsaid pendulous lever.

3. In a sewing machine rufier, the combination with a frame portion, ofa stud fixed thereto and having a threaded outer end and a non-circularportion near said threaded end, connected operating and pendulous leversand a ratchet wheel mounted on said stud, a spring-pressed pawl carriedby said operating lever and engaging said ratchet wheel, a ruftlingblade connected with said pendulous lever, a nut on the outer threadedend of said stud, and a friction device interposed between said nut andsaid ratchet wheel and having struck-out lugs to engage saidnon-circular portion of said stud, to hold said friction device fromrotation.

l. In a sewing machine rufller, the combination with a frame portion, ofa stud fixed thereto and having a threaded outer end and a non-circularport-ion near said threaded end, connected operating and pendulouslevers and a ratchet wheel mounted on said stud, a spring-pressed pawlcarried by said operating lever and engaging said ratchet Wheel, arufliing blade connected with said pendulous lever, a nut on the outerthreaded end of said stud, and a friction device interposed between saidnut and said ratchet wheel and having struck-out lugs to engage saidnoncircular portion of said stud, to hold said friction device fromrotation, said friction device having a spring arm provided with a stopto engage the teeth of said ratchet wheel.

5. In a sewing machine rul'l'ler, the combination with a rufliing bladeand actuating mechanism therefor, comprising an operating lever, of apawl pivoted to said lever, a thin metal plate fixed to said lever andhaving a small hole, and a torsional spring one end of which is engagedwith said pawl and the other end of which is entered into said hole insaid thin metal plate.

6. In a sewing machine ruflier, the combination with a ruliiing bladeand actuating mechanism therefor comprising an operating lever, of ascrew mounted on said lever and serving to regulate the throw of saidrufiiing blade, a thin metal friction spring bearing against and fittinga threaded portion of said screw and serving to retain the said screw inany desired position of adjustment, said thin metal plate having an armor portion provided with a small hole, a pawl pivotally mounted on saidlever, and

a torsional spring one end of which is en gaged with said pawl and theother end of which is entered into said hole in said thin metal plate.

7. I11 a sewing machine attachment, the combination with two movingparts, of a regulating screw passing through a threaded socket andthrough which screw the movement of one of said parts is imparted to theother of said parts, and a thin spring metal friction plate having aportion bearing against the threads of said screw at one side of thelatter, outside of said threaded socket, said plate being corrugated tofit into said threads to retain said screw in any desired position ofadjustment.

8. In a sewing machine attachment, the combination with a vibratinglever, of a pawl having a circular opening, a shouldered stud fixed tosaid lever and having a bearing portion fitting one part of saidcircular opening, and a boss of lesser diameter than said opening,leaving an annular chamber between said boss and the wall of saidopening, and a torsional spring housed in said chamber and acting onsaid pawl.

9. In a sewing machine ruftler, the combination with a ruflling blade,and operating mechanism for said blade comprising an operating lever, anintermediate or pendulous lever and a ratchet wheel, of a shoulderedstud fixed to said operating lever, a pawl having a circular opening oneportion of which closely fits a shouldered portion of said stud adjacentto its head, said stud having a boss of lesser diameter than saidopening, leaving an annular chamber between said boss and the wall ofsaid opening, and a torsional spring housed in said chamber and actingon said pawl.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in presence of twowitnesses.

PERCY R. GREIST. FREDERICK W. BECKERT. W'itnesses MARGARET J. STUMPF,IN. C. GREIs'r.

